RBC Heritage preview

Wednesday

Apr 16, 2014 at 10:00 PM

A look at this week's PGA Tour event in Hilton Head

By ERIC BOYNTONeric.boynton@shj.com

William McGirtBoiling Springs resident/Wofford CollegeHeritage history: Missed cuts in 2011 and 2012 and missed secondary Saturday cut last year shooting 70-70-80.Season: The 34-year-old tied for 31st in his last outing at the March 30 Valero Texas Open on the heels of rare consecutive missed cuts. He posted his sixth career PGA top 10 with a tie for sixth at February’s Northern Trust Open. He ranks 93rd with $437,729 and 89th in FedEx Cup points.

Ben MartinGreenville resident/Clemson UniversityHeritage history: Tied for 56th in 2011, his lone start, after opening with 67.Season: In his return to the Tour, the 26-year-old has missed seven of his last eight cuts, including his last four. The one successful stint was a biggie, with a solo third in Puerto Rico that earned a career-best $238,000. His status is becoming precarious and he needs a few good outings to re-establish his rank in the pecking order to keep getting into events.

Bill HaasGreenville resident/Riverside HighHeritage history: Has made four cuts in nine appearances with a career-best tie for 24th last year when he opened with rounds of 68-69 before closing with a 5-over 76.Season: The 31-year-old is ranked 31st in the world and continues to be one of the Tour’s most consistent players, but with his bank account it’s now all about winning and not just constantly making a solid check. He’s had trouble getting himself into serious weekend contention and had at least a share of the first-round lead his last two outings, but finished tied 20th at Augusta and tied 37th in Houston. He’s already earned $1.14 million this year, making all 12 cuts with nine top 25s.

Jonathan ByrdClemsonHeritage history: Has made six cuts in 11 tries with a career-best tie for 16th in 2004. He hasn’t finished inside the top 65 at Harbour Town since 2008.Season: The 36-year-old has slipped to 287th in the world rankings and it’s becoming difficult to decipher whether he’s still struggling to come all the way back from major wrist surgery or is simply beginning the downside of a successful career. The five-time PGA winner hasn’t won in more than three years, but he’s shown some glimpses of his former self recently with ties for 19th, 32nd and 12th over his last three starts.

Lucas GloverWade Hampton/ClemsonHeritage history: Has made six cuts in 11 starts, but has struggled in recent years with three missed weekends and a 69th in 2012. His best finish was a tie for seventh in 2008 after opening with a pair of 66s.Season: The 34-year-old had missed eight of nine cuts heading to last week’s Masters, where he tied for 42nd after following an Augusta career-low 69 in Round 2 with 77-75 on the weekend. Ranked 294th in the world, he stands 158th in earnings and 159th in FedEx Cup points. He hasn’t posted a top 10 since nearly a year ago with a tie for fourth in New Orleans and is starting to be in danger of a third consecutive season earning less than $1 million after topping that mark for six of the previous seven years, including three of over $2 million.

Kyle StanleyClemsonHeritage history: Made one cut in three appearances with a tie for 60th in 2012.Season: Like other veteran Clemson products Byrd and Glover, Stanley also has lost his mojo and has plummeted to No. 165 in the world rankings after all three were comfortably nestled among the top 75 not long ago. The 26-year-old has missed six of his last eight cuts and didn’t finish inside the top 50 when he played the weekend. Stanley hasn’t played well since a five-week stretch last spring when he posted a pair of solo thirds and a tie for sixth.

Mark AndersonUniversity of South CarolinaHeritage history: The Beaufort resident has made two cuts in four appearances with a career-best tie for 13th his last time in 2012, going 69-68 on the weekend.Season: The 28-year-old has struggled in his return to the big tour after playing full-time in 2012. He’s missed the cut in all five PGA outings, playing only three since January, and also missed his lone try on the Web.com Tour. Anderson is playing this week on a sponsor’s exemption and needs to conjure some of those same good vibes from a few years ago near his home turf to jumpstart his season.

Nick FaldoHeritage history: Made 11 cuts in 17 appearances with a 1984 victory and tie for fourth in 1995. He last played the event in 2006, when he missed the cut with a 76-68.Chip shots: Sir Nick spent 97 weeks atop the official world golf rankings and among his 40 career victories are three Masters and three British Opens. He played at the University of Houston for one year before becoming the youngest (at that time) Ryder Cup player in history at age 20.

Jim FurykHeritage history: Made 12 cuts in 15 appearances, with a victory in 2010, tied for second and solo second in 2005-06, and solo fourth in 2008.Chip shots: The 43-year-old is ranked 21st in the world and was in Sunday contention briefly at the Masters before a 75 dropped him into a tie for 14th. He’s finished in the top 25 in five of seven starts this season and is fourth on the all-time money list with $56.8 million in career earnings.

Zach JohnsonHeritage history: Made 7 of 9 cuts with a solo sixth in 2007 and solo second three years ago, carding 68-66 in the middle rounds both times.Chip shots: The 38-year-old is ranked 12th in the world and has won 11 times on the PGA Tour, including the 2007 Masters. He tied for sixth at last year’s British Open. He’s already topped $2 million this season, including a victory in January at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.

Matt KucharHeritage history: Missed the cut in his 2003 debut before making the weekend in his last nine outings, with his best a tie for seventh in 2008 when he finished 68-67.Chip shots: The highest-ranked player in the field at No. 6, the 35-year-old Georgia Tech product has posted top 10s in all four majors over the last four years. He was briefly tied at the top early in Sunday’s final round at the Masters before tying for fifth. He’s currently 11th in both earnings and FedEx Cup points and his $28.5 million ranks 17th all-time. Before Augusta, Kuchar lost in a playoff and tied for fourth at the two Texas stops.

Graeme McDowellHeritage history: Has made the cut three times in four starts and won last year’s tournament.Chip shots: The 34-year-old from Northern Ireland, who played at Alabama-Birmingham, is ranked 14th in the world. He has five top 10s in just seven PGA starts, including a solo third at the HSBC Champions World Golf Challenge event. His lone wins in America came at Harbour Town and the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

Jordan SpiethHeritage history: Posted his first three rounds under par before a Sunday 73 in last year’s debut, when he tied for ninth playing on a sponsor’s exemption.Chip shots: Became the youngest American ever ranked among the top 10 in the world this week at No. 9 after his tie for second Sunday at the Masters, when he led eventual champion Bubba Watson by two heading to the eighth hole. Spieth won the 2009 and 2011 U.S. Junior Amateurs, joining Tiger Woods as the lone multiple winners. Last year’s PGA Tour Rookie of the Year led Texas to the national championship as a freshman before turning pro after his sophomore season.

Tom WatsonHeritage history: Made 19 cuts with eight top 10s in 23 appearances, with wins in 1979 and 1982 and a solo second in 1977. He last competed at Harbour Town in 2001, when he missed the cut.Chip shots: One of the all-time greats, the 64-year-old World Golf Hall-of-Famer has won eight majors (including five British Opens and two Masters) with the PGA Championship the lone one missing. He lost in a four-hole playoff to Stewart Cink in the 2009 British in trying to become the oldest to win any of the four majors. Watson led the PGA Tour in earnings five times and was ranked No. 1 in the world from 1978-82.

Where: Harbour Town Golf Links (Hilton Head)When: Thursday-SundayPurse: $5.8 million ($1.044 million winner’s share)2013 champion: Graeme McDowellTV: 3-6 p.m., Thursday-Friday and 1-2:30 p.m., Saturday-Sunday on Golf Channel; 3-6 p.m., Saturday-Sunday on CBSNotes: The field features 19 of the top 50 in the world rankings, including six among the top 20, and 18 of the top 30 in FedEx Cup points, including seven among the top 11. … Former Heritage champions Tom Watson and Nick Faldo are making rare PGA Tour starts. … The list of past winners also includes Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Payne Stewart and Greg Norman. … The tournament has been decided by a playoff in three of the past four years. … Davis Love III, who is in the field, has won a record five times.Top pairings: Bill Haas/Graeme McDowell/Brandt Snedeker; Ernie Els/Matt Kuchar/Hunter Mahan; Jordan Spieth/Tom Watson/Davis Love III; Patrick Reed/Russell Henley/Charl Schwartzel.